The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification has become the benchmark for penetration testing certifications. From 2007-2011it became all the rage among the community. More and more hackers fled to the scene and started their careers off by passing the coveted CEH certification exam. There is no question that the CEH is still a highly sought after certification (especially because it was added to the DoD 8570 Directive), but its place in the field has changed. Before, the CEH was a symbol of hacking prowess, dignity, strength, wisdom, reverence, veneration, amazement (OK thats enough)... Now, it holds its spot firmly as the preeminent baseline or entry-level hacking / penetration testing certification.